Lee County to build $50 million, 50-bed hospital

LEESBURG — Lee County Commission Chairman Rick Muggridge is expected to announce at the commission’s meeting tonight that Lee County will finance the construction of a $50 million, 50-bed hospital that will be located on property that is now the Grand Island golf course.

Lee County sources say the hospital will offer “state-of-the-art health care along with affiliations with some of the best specialty medical services in the country.”

The county will finance construction of the hospital with proceeds obtained through bonds issued by the Lee County Development Authority. Once constructed, a real estate development company working under the authorization of the Development Authority will sublease the hospital to an experienced operator, that officials described as “well-qualified.”

Officials did not say which medical services provider would sublease the hospital, but a source noted the county was “negotiating with several entities, and once we announce (the provider) everyone will be impressed.”

“At this time, we know no more than what the media has reported and have had no contact from Lee County officials,” Joel Wernick, president and CEO of Phoebe Putney Health System, said in a statement. “As the region’s referral center for advanced care, we are curious as to what new services will be offered and whether this means the Lee County Commission is now going to assist with the annual charity and indigent care Phoebe currently provides to Lee County citizens, which totaled over $9 million in fiscal year 2015.”

The county will apply for a Certificate of Need through the Georgia Department of Public Health under the sole community provider provision that is part of state law. Under that provision, any municipality in a county that has no hospital within its borders may establish such a health care facility for its residents.

According to a report, some property owners near Grand Island who learned about plans to use the golf course property as the site of the hospital at a public meeting Tuesday are upset about the plan and have threatened legal action.

Sources say Grand Island will continue to operate for the next few months as the CON application process and other requirements play out, which should take most of the rest of the year. But when ground is broken on the hospital, which is expected sometime in February or March, nine holes of the golf course will cease to exist. The Development Authority will develop the 15-acre hospital site and properties around the site for other potential medical investments.

County sources say the planned hospital is not meant to be a challenge to Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany.

The sources said the effort is one of choice and that there were 60-80 doctors in the area that have a need for opportunities to better serve their patients.

The county plans to gift the 15 acres on which the hospital will sit to the real estate development company, which will collect an annual payment in lieu of taxes for the property. The development is expected to cost around $50 million.

County sources also said plans are “in the works” to develop the remaining nine holes of the golf course for other recreational opportunities.